You learn a lot when you go to college. You learn that pulling an
all-nighter means staying up all night to study for a test you will then
sleep through. You learn to appreciate the taste of beer- the cheapest of
all alcholic beverages. You learn that you can roll out of bed 10 minutes
before class and go to class looking like shit- and no one will notice or
care. You learn you really can do things for yourself without your parents
looking over your shoulder-- but you also learn you never realized how nice
it was to have them there, just in case. More than anything, however, you
learn how much your friends really mean to you. College friends come to mean
a lot to you, but they can never compare to your friends from home. Your
friends from home teach you themeaning of friendship during your college
years. Because you are apartfrom them you tend to express your feelings
more- you learn how much these people truly affect your life. You've got
your best friend who exemplifies friendship- she calls at least once a week,
sends email every day, and even sends you real mail. You feel like you never
left each other... she still knows everything aboutyou, and even over the
internet can tell when something is wrong. She teaches youthat distance
doesn't have to change a friendship at all. Then there is your other best
friend. She rarely calls or writesand she doesn't do the email thing. At
times you think she has forgotten about you... until you hear from her. You
hear from her for the first time in almost two months- and nothing has
changed. You are still you and she is still her-- even though you never talk
you are as close as ever, you are still the best of friends. You find
yourself expressing to her just how much she means to you- because you
realize it now more than ever. She teaches you that true friends are friends
in the soul... no separation can tear them apart. Then there are those
friends that you sort of lost touch with those lastfew months of high school
and during the summer. You were busy, they werebusy... but somehow, the
magic of email has brought you closer together thanyou ever were in four
years at the same school. You share secrets,heartache, and joy... its
another person who cares about you as long asyou will care about them too.
Away from all the pettiness of high school,you've finally formed an adult
relationship... and you realize just how great a friend this person is.
Suddenly, the people that you thought for sure you would lose touch with in
college are the ones you keep in closest contact with-- and you miss them
more than you ever thought possible. Sadly enough, there are also the
friends that you were closest toin high school who drift too far for you to
hold on to. You've bothchanged and suddenly you don't have much to say to
each other. But these people teach you a lesson too-- they make you value
the others, the ones you have stayed close to, that much more. These distant
friends, though you miss them when you rarely think of them, show you who
your forever friends really are- and they make you appreciate those forevers
much more than before. College is rough. College severs some bonds and
solidifies others... itputs a distance between you and the ones you love.
But it teaches you somuch. It forces your real friends to come to the
front, while the rest taketheir places in the shadows of your memories. In
college you lose somepeople- but through real friendship and the strength of
the soul (whichis where real friends join as one) you keep the ones you will
need most in your life. You learn the real meaning of the quote: "If you
press me to say why we were friends, I can say no more thanit was because she
was she and I was I." The people who fit that mold are your forever
friends. So send this on to those forever friends. Send it to the ones
you keep in touch with. And send it to the ones you don't- just to tell them
how much you appreciate all they did for you. And send it to your new
college friends, who hopefully will someday too be your forever friends.